Letters to the editor: Inspired by the Warriors

Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriorscelebrates with Draymond Green #23 during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers in game three of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Moda Center on May 18, 2019 in Portland, Oregon.

Photo: Getty Images

Has a team ever been more valiant in defeat than the Golden State Warriors were in these finals? What would they have had left in a Game 7? Kevin Durant sacrificed next season for his team. Klay Thompson came back from injury to play brilliantly until another injury — this one downright cruel — ended his Oracle career.

Kevon Looney had to be in a great deal of pain at all times, yet he played his heart out. DeMarcus Cousins worked his butt off — twice — to get back on the floor to try to help his team win a third straight championship. The Dubs — especially the five stalwarts who’ve been there for the whole ride — showed us how severe a toll it took on even the best-conditioned and highly resilient of athletes. Thanks, guys, for a great run. I’ve never been so inspired by a defeat.

Mark Wardlaw, Santa Rosa

It’s about health care

Concerning “Big push to fight age bias in hiring” (Business, June 9): The connection of health care coverage to employment is a big part of the age bias. With the present system, if an employer has a job opening and a 25-year-old and a 45-year-old apply, the employer has to consider that they will pay twice as much to cover the health insurance for the 45-year-old and even more for a 60-year-old. ... I imagine that there is also an advantage if the applicant is male, as health insurance costs there are also less.

Until we have Medicare for All, with everyone covered and such coverage not tied to employment, there will be age bias in hiring. This is just one of the many reasons that it makes so much sense to have Medicare for All (improved, expanded Medicare, as offered in the House and Senate bills in Washington, D.C.). Also, it will save lives and save money.

Judy Ballinger, El Cerrito

Bicycle-friendly design

I am disappointed that Caltrain has approved the bike-car design that places just 36 bicycle spots in each car for a total of 72 on each train. I am even more disappointed that Caltrain only placed seven (folding) seats within view of those bicycle spots. It is so important that Caltrain has more bicycle spaces and seats within view because bicycle ridership is growing and this decision will make the car design outdated before it is even in operation. Caltrain was once heralded as bicycle-friendly because every single train had bicycle spaces. The new car layout creates a barrier to better bicycle infrastructure in the Bay Area and the Peninsula.

It is not feasible to leave a bicycle at either end of a Caltrain ride because of the issue of theft. Would-be riders will now have to find alternatives to the Caltrain, which will probably lead to a greater impact on our roads and freeways. The Bay Area is progressing toward being a more bicycle friendly region, and the decision by the Caltrain board directly contradicts that trend. I implore the board to reconsider its decision and create a more bicycle- and rider-friendly design.

“Why retail spaces are going empty” (Page One, June 16) is not unique to North Beach. The same problem can be seen on shopping streets from the Bayview to the Richmond District and everywhere in between. The main problem is that none of San Francisco’s elected leadership at City Hall has any significant private-sector experience. They don’t have the management experience necessary to solve this and the city’s other problems. They legislate and regulate based on their left-wing ideology. Common sense and best practices are very seldomly part of their equations. The voters need to rethink whom they vote for. They need to elect experienced professionals who know how to methodically solve problems. The elected officials need to hold the city’s well-paid department heads responsible for the problems their departments allow to linger.

Regarding “Plan for CEO tax heading to S.F. ballot” (Page One, June 13): San Francisco is a city and county of around 46.9 square miles yet has a budget of $12 billion, which is a budget bigger than that of multiple states. Until these supervisors can explain to me why they can’t run a city the size of San Francisco on $12 billion, I’m voting no on any new taxes. This constant piling of fees, taxes and mandates on business is having a detrimental effect on local business that will really come home to roost in the next economic downturn. But our supervisors seem to be oblivious to this or just don’t care. We the voters do have to care, which is why I’m voting no on any new taxes until our supervisors explain why they can’t do their job with a $12 billion budget.

Frank Sullivan, San Francisco

Stonewall Trump

With all due apologies to the LGBTQ community during this June Pride Month, who (along with their allies) associate the name Stonewall with an uprising in 1969 at a New York City bar that spurred the modern gay civil rights movement, the 45th president, who has again claimed executive privilege — this time to block Congress’ access to documents about how a citizenship question was added to the 2020 census — should now be referred to as Stonewall Trump.